Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin Wednesday downplayed any quarterback uncertainty, saying backup Danny O’Brien’s entrance into the fourth quarter of Monday’s game was to “get us some juice” in the passing game and wasn’t the beginning of a controversy.

On his only play O’Brien fumbled the handoff to running back Davin Meggett, and Navy recovered.

“We were planning on playing Danny O’Brien in that game no matter what,” he said.  “Obviously he went in there, it didn’t go as planned and it was a little bit of a fluke thing right there with the handoff exchange.  But our team and our coaching staff and the quarterbacks as a room don’t really see it as an issue.”

At the ACC Kickoff in July, coach Ralph Friedgen said there would be no quarterback competition.  Junior Jamarr Robinson was the guy, the starter against Navy.  Throughout preseason camp, Friedgen praised Robinson's progress.

But when redshirt freshman backup Danny O’Brien entered the game for a crucial fourth quarter drive that began on Navy’s 16-yard line—after Maryland’s offense had stalled for two quarters—was it the beginning of a quarterback controversy?

Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown had to gamble.  Navy had a fourth down with 37 seconds left, needing a yard for the go-ahead touchdown.  For 59 minutes it had rushed for more than the length of four football fields, and all it needed now was three feet.